AMERICA FIRST
Little Riego Yanez was a native of Mexico--of that unhappy part ofMexico which is constantly plundered by revolutionary bands who spendtheir time in fighting, and who win their supplies by robbing the morestable people of the republic.
Riego's father, Antonio Yanez, had suffered many times at the hands ofthe revolutionists. He was a saddler by trade, and also a smallfarmer, so the products of his industry were just what the warringbandits needed. But the warring bandits did not pay for what theyneeded. They merely took, and rode away!
So Antonio decided on a desperate step--he would emigrate to America.
But Riego's mother objected to removing to America. Mexico was rifewith hatred and distrust of the "gringos," and many and dark were thestories told of the country north of the Great North River. Besides,Riego's elder brother, Pascual, an unruly lad of fifteen, was verybitterly opposed to the change.
So it was at length decided that Antonio should dare alone the dangersand hardships of America. If all was as the revolutionists said, hecould escape back to Chihuahua. If, by happy chance, he should prosperin the new country, he would send for wife and children.
A year passed. The father's letters--few and short, for he had hadlittle schooling--were chiefly concerned with begging them to come andsee for themselves.
Then, one never-to-be-forgotten day, the mother and children packedinto a hired wagon the tragic little which the bandits had left them,and set their faces toward the Rio Grande. They, too, were bound forthat distrusted country which lay north of the northern edge of theirworld. The mother and the two girls were hopeful, but Pascual wassilent and Riego afraid.
Not till the night came down did they reach the dark river which wasto flow forever between the old life and the new. To littleten-year-old Riego this all-pervading darkness meant "America," for tohis drowsy brain and anxious heart the black clouds above and thedarkly rolling waters below seemed to typify the spirit of the landinto which he was crossing.
Another moment, however, and he had given up the struggle to think itall out and fallen asleep with his head on his mother's lap.
The next morning Riego waked up in a better land.
He sat up on his cot and blinked his black eyes and stared about himat the cosey little room. A flood of light poured in at the one tinywindow--Then the sun _did_ shine in this land of the gringos!
This was very interesting. Riego hurried into his clothes and startedout to see America.
His route of exploration led through a cheery kitchen, where he foundhis two sisters busy cooking breakfast, and smiling and chatting attheir work. But Riego had no time to stop and question, for the greenthings in the little garden beyond were beckoning to him.
In another minute he was out among them. It was very green--this"America"--very green and very sunny, with rows upon rows of the mostwonderful vegetables running out to meet the morning sun!
Soon Riego glimpsed his father and mother beyond a dividing fence atthe side, and he ran at once to his father's arms. After the firstlong embrace Riego drew back, the better to see the father who haddared America alone for his children's sake.
Why--his brow was smoother than Riego remembered!--his eyesclearer!--Did one grow younger, happier, in America?
And now Riego's mother was calling his attention to the snow-whitechickens which fluttered about them. There was a cow, too, Riegolearned--a cow and a pony and pigs and pigeons--and _all theirs_!
Riego shouted for joy. But the next moment the joy died upon his lips,and he asked:
"The revolutionists, father? How long will they let us have these?"
"Riego," said his father, "there are no revolutionists in America.Here, if a man works, he receives a just reward, and he is allowed tokeep in peace what he earns. Our only danger is from across theborder."
Then Riego's mother told him that his father had a fine saddle-shopwhich the Americans never raided.
It was all very, very wonderful!--A man was paid well for working, andcould keep in peace what he earned!--Was this what was meant by"_America_"?
Riego's father's saddle-shop was the front room of their littledwelling, and opened immediately upon a small street in the Mexicanquarter of the village. It was a very interesting place, indeed, forthe wide door and the hospitable bench just inside invited in many anentertaining visitor, besides the men who came to buy saddles or tohave their harness repaired.
One of these visitors, Alonzo Lorente, was particularly interestingto Riego and his brother, though their father always became moodilyquiet when the man came. Lorente was a big, dashing fellow, full ofstrange oaths and of dark insinuations. And somehow, whenever heentered, the air of the shop became electric with an indefinableexcitement.
It did not take Riego long to see that, at such times, his fathermanaged to keep him and Pascual so busy that they missed most of theirhero's inspiriting talk. Riego was particularly unfortunate in thisrespect. He spent little of his time in the shop where his father andPascual plied the saddler's trade, for it was his duty to help in themarket-garden.
This deprivation of Lorente's society, however, had its compensations.It was Riego's especial work to peddle their vegetables at the khakitents of the gringo soldiers a few miles away, and this was veryentertaining and exciting in itself, for the soldiers were jolly andkind and said nice things to one.
And then, one rainy Saturday afternoon, when the peddling was alldone, Riego sat in his father's shop and listened to Alonzo Lorente.And Alonzo Lorente startled him awake with the news that all was notwell with the land of America. He spoke darkly of "gringos" and of"vengeance."
Pascual, Riego noticed, crept closer and closer to the big man, tillhis fingers forgot the leather they should have been stretching.
It was then that the unexpected happened. The father, usually so quietand so busy, suddenly rose from his work-bench and came forward.
"Lorente," he said, and Pascual and Riego started at the iron in histone, "Lorente, it is not the busy men who have quarrel with America.It is those who have time to do--much talking!"
There was a pause and dead silence, and then Lorente the magnificentturned on his heel with a growl and left the shop.
Then Antonio returned to his work-bench, with Riego following, butPascual stole to the door and gazed at the receding Lorente till hisfather called him sharply to his duties.
One day the father did not open his shop at all. It was closed inhonor of the great American festival, Riego heard him explain grimlyto a follower of Lorente, who questioned. And Riego heard the followerof Lorente laugh scornfully as he strode away.
There being no work that day, Pascual and Riego set out together toexplore the yet farther reaches of America.
But they had not gone far past the square where loomed the severalAmerican stores when they sighted a crowd in a grove of big trees, andheard voices shouting and hands clapping as if in great joy. A numberof gringo soldiers were roving about. Two were coming leisurely towardthem across the green.
Riego wanted to press forward to see and hear, but his brother jerkedhim by the sleeve, exclaiming:
"It is the Americans' great feast-day, the Fourth of July. Come away!"
"But father says _we_ are Americans now. Why can't we go and hear whatthey are saying?" Riego's voice had risen in his eagerness.
The approaching soldiers stopped and looked at him, and Riego's heartstopped, too.
But the taller of the soldiers saluted him in fine fashion, andaddressed to him words of courteous welcome:
"Don Pedro de Alvarado-Rain-in-the-Face-Sitting-Bull, for such as thouart is the picnic! Welcome to our city!"
Riego understood the gesture of invitation. He thanked the courtlysoldier, and walked proudly forward, followed by his brother.
It was a gay scene, but quiet now, for someone was speaking. Thestarry banner of America fluttered everywhere, and smiling,white-faced senoritas and brown-clad soldiers were gathered here andthere in listening groups. Under a tree, near
the platform, satmusicians with shining silver horns and a big drum. A number ofchildren were seated on the grass in front of the stand. Among them,Riego noticed, were many dark faces like his own.
Suddenly Riego's courage gave way and he started to retreat. But asweet-faced senora took him by the hand and led him and Pascual to aplace where they could see everything, whispering as they went:
"It is our day of freedom."
At first the boy was dazed by the strangeness of the scene, and hisinterest shifted. But the sound of a sweet, ringing voice sooncompelled his attention and he turned quickly toward the platform.
Riego caught his breath. Who was it? _What_ was it that was speakingto him?
In the centre of the platform stood a clear-eyed, white-faced goddess,with the flag of the new country draped around her slender form, andthe sunlight of this day of freedom beating down upon her shininghead. She was speaking, but in the difficult new
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